Bulgaria leaned on brothers Aleksandar and Moni Nikolov to outlast world No. 6 Slovenia in a five-set thriller, 25-19, 25-14, 18-25, 23-25, 15-13, and advance to the next round of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship on Monday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
After squandering a two-set advantage and falling behind 9-11 in the decider, Aleksandar rose to the occasion, sparking a four-point run capped by an ace and a thunderous back-row hit to put Bulgaria ahead, 13-11. His service error stopped the momentum, but his damage was already done.
Moni, showing poise beyond his years, even urged his coaches mid-rally to challenge Nik Mujanovic’s serve, then followed it up with a clutch spike that gave Bulgaria match point at 14-12.
Iliya Petkov missed his serve on the next rally, but Aleksandar made sure to finish the job, sealing the victory that sent Bulgaria to the Round of 16 with a perfect 2-0 record in Pool E.
The 21-year-old Aleksandar spearheaded the charge with 26 points built on 23 kills, two aces, and a block—coming off a 28-point outburst in their upset of former world No. 8 Germany.
“There was a lot of pressure, to be honest. It looked like a different match in the first two sets. So after they came back, there was a lot of pressure to win,” said the star outside spiker. “It was a game to qualify for the next stage. So I’m super proud and happy with the team for their response in the fifth set.”
Meanwhile, 18-year-old setter Moni dished out 36 excellent sets and contributed 10 points, including four aces.
“It was a nice moment. I’m happy that I could score a point for the team. I think we needed it, but I’m happy we got that point,” said the younger Nikolov.
Apart from the brothers, Asparuh Asparuhov chipped in 17 points, while Petkov added 11 off five kills, five blocks, and an ace as Bulgaria already surpassed its 20th-place finish in the 2022 edition hosted by Poland and Slovenia.
“It says that we’re a resilient team and we hold firm when the pressure hits. Because, like I said, there was a lot of pressure today. This shows that even though we’re young, we’re starting to gain experience and we’re starting to use it,” said Aleksandar.
Bulgaria will aim for a Pool E sweep when it faces winless Chile on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.
“And as a young team, it’s going to be the same for the next ten years. So I’m happy that as a group, we’re staying together. And we’re winning when it matters,” added Moni.
Slovenia, meanwhile, fell to 1-1, tied with Germany. Both squads will battle for the last Round of 16 ticket on Wednesday at 9 p.m.
Toncek Stern paced Slovenia with 20 points, while Mujanovic and Ziga Stern scored 16 and 13, respectively.
.png){kind=icon}